The Answer To Who I Really Am
by Rirureddo
Summary: What if Shadow The Hedgehog was beginning to doubt whether or not he was the real Shadow after seeing the destroyed robot copy of himself? Will Rouge The Bat be able to convince him otherwise? Takes place after Team Dark defeats the Egg Albatross in "Sonic Heroes."


_**~Author's Note~**_

_**Hey guys! Here's an all new Shadouge short story from me! Yay! Hope you guys enjoy it :)**_

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_**~The Answer To Who I Really Am~**_

Maniacal laughter was coming from the Eggman robot that was lying in front of the huge wreckage before Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, and E-123 Omega. Omega clenched its metallic claw in anger.

Shadow, Rouge, and Omega, collectively known as Team Dark, had been chasing Dr. Eggman all over for their own specific reasons; Shadow, to find out who he truly was, Rouge, to find the doctor's "secret treasure," and Omega, to destroy the doctor as revenge for sealing it away. Team Dark had just destroyed the massive robot Egg Albatross and thought that they finally had Eggman cornered, but the "Eggman" turned out to be a robot clone.

As Omega glared at the robot, Rouge turned her head to her other companion and saw that Shadow was preoccupied with something on the ground. The look on the hedgehog's face was one that the bat couldn't read but she understood fully after she followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at and a gasp escaped her lips.

There on the ground was a robot clone of Shadow. It was torn in half and its eyes were a blank white and electrical wires were hanging out of the upper body. Sparks flew from out of it's body and onto the metal ground upon which it lie.

Shadow didn't know what to make of this. Just inches in front of him was a robot that looked exactly like him. What did this mean? Was this robot just a carbon copy of him? Or was he a robot clone himself?

The look on Shadow's face turned into one of anger, sadness, and confusion. His shoulder's started to tremble as he continued to gaze at the remains of the robot. He was just about to unleash all of his anger when he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and heard a soft voice.

"Shadow?"

The hedgehog turned his head and saw Rouge standing next to him. Her ears were dropped slightly and she had a look of concern on her face. This was a different experience for Shadow. The whole time he had been with Rouge, he had never seen this side of her. She was the leader of the group and always had a tough presence about her. From the moment he had laid eyes on her after being released from the stasis pod in Eggman's base, she stayed the same; tough, serious to a fault, and didn't let anything get in her way.

But now she looked the complete opposite of what he was used to seeing. She looked so sad, almost vulnerable.

"Shadow?" she repeated. "Are you ok?"

The hedgehog was silent as he was still trying to comprehend all that was happening at once. Seeing the robot on the ground, this new side of Rouge; it was a lot for him.

"Rouge," he managed to say. "I…,"

The treasure hunter looked down at the robot on the ground and she couldn't help the small shiver that went through her body from just the sight of it.

She turned back to Shadow and began to speak. "Do you have any idea what this thing is? It looks…just like you."

Shadow looked down at the robot once more. "Just like…me," he repeated. Then he started to think of something that he hoped and prayed wasn't true.

Rouge was too occupied with looking at the robot. "Do you think that there are more of these things out there?"

Shadow raised a hand to his forehead and held it as it let out a deep breath. What Rouge had said was somewhere in the neighborhood of what he was thinking, but it wasn't quite it.

"Rouge," said Shadow in an almost inaudible voice. The bat heard her name with her highly sensitive ears and looked over at the hedgehog as he continued to speak. What if I'm…,"

The bat waited for her companion to finish speaking but he didn't. "What if you're what Shadow?"

The hedgehog set his hand back down to his side and turned completely to face Rouge and then he said it.

"What if I'm…What if I'm not who I think I am?"

Rouge's eyes widened slightly after hearing the hedgehog's question. "Not who you think you are?" she repeated. "Shadow, what are you talking about?"

Shadow's eyes were filled with doubt and sorrow as he turned back and looked at the mangled robot on the ground. "What if everything you've told me about myself is a lie? What if I'm not Shadow the Hedgehog? What if I'm just a worthless copy like this robot?"

Rouge could only look at the hedgehog with a look of disbelief on her face. Although she understood why he would think that after what they had just seen, and she herself was thinking the very same thing, in her heart she truly believed that he was the Shadow she had met all those months ago.

Shadow sighed as he looked away from the robot and out into the horizon. "Maybe I am just a copy…Maybe I'm not the real Shadow…"

Mere seconds after those words left his mouth, the hedgehog felt two arms wrap themselves around his waist from behind and felt something press up against him and his body tensed up slightly. "What the…," he said as he turned his head to the side and saw Rouge's head on his shoulder, her eyes shut tight and, to the best of her ability, fighting back tears.

"Shadow," she said in an emotion-filled voice as she tightened her hold on him. "Please don't say things like that. You are the real Shadow, I just know you are…."

The bat sobbed a bit and Shadow felt his heart wrench at just the sound of it. "Rouge…,"

"I feel it in my heart," Rouge continued as a few tears fell from her eyes. "From the moment I laid my eyes on you in Eggman's base I just knew that it was you. After months and months of hoping you were still alive my prayers were finally answered when I found you…"

The hedgehog's body eased up and he felt sad once again, although this time he wasn't sad for what he thought himself to be. He was sad because of the state Rouge was in. She was pouring her feelings out to him and it was hurting her so much to do so. Shadow stopped and thought about the situation from Rouge's point of view. It was only then when he realized just how much him thinking he was a fake hurt the bat. After hearing the story about what happened on Space Colony Ark from her, he knew that she saw him as a true friend.

Turning around to face her, Shadow wrapped his arms around Rouge, held her close, and embraced her in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry Rouge," said the hedgehog softly into her ear. "I just want to know the answer to who I really am. I…I don't want my whole existence to be a lie…"

"It's not," said Rouge as she kept one of her arms around Shadow's body and used her other to reach up to Shadow's head and stroke his hairquills with her hand. "I know in my heart that you're the real Shadow the Hedgehog."

Shadow closed his eyes and continued to hold Rouge close to him, and he to her. The two of them continued to hold each other until they heard a loud sound come from the sky.

Pulling away slightly from Shadow, Rouge asked out loud, "What was that?"

Omega, who had still be standing in front of the fake Eggman robot, said "Sensors are indicating multiple large flying objects above us."

The three members of Team Dark look into the sky and they saw a large fleet of airships flying past them.

"That must be Eggman's fleet!" said Rouge as she looked at the airships fly above the mountains.

"Where are they heading?" asked Shadow.

Omega looked ahead of the fleet and in the distance saw a large forest ahead of them. "They are approaching that forest, which is approximately one thousand kilometers from our current position."

Shadow's eyes narrowed as he watched the fleet. "Let's cut them off there. Then we'll be able to get to the doctor, for real this time."

"Affirmative," said Omega. It fired up its jets and started to lift off the metal structure they were on. "I'll scout ahead for enemies."

"Ok. We'll catch up with you in just a few," said Rouge.

With that being said, Omega flew away down the structure, leaving Shadow and Rouge alone. It was only when they were alone that they realized they were still holding each other.

"Um…" said Rouge as a small blush appeared on her face and she slowly stepped out of Shadow's arms. "W-what do you say we go catch up with Omega?"

A tint of pink appearing on his cheeks as well, Shadow nodded his head before saying, "You go on ahead."

A look of concern appeared on Rouge's face. "Are you sure? Will you be ok?"

"Yes," the hedgehog replied. "I just need a moment to myself."

Rouge looked at Shadow a moment longer, not wanting to leave him, but she eventually nodded her head before opening her wings and flying down the structure. As she did, she couldn't help but to look back at Shadow and hope that he would be ok.

Once he was alone, Shadow turned his attention to the robot by the wreckage of the Egg Albatross and walked to it. As he reached it, he simply gazed at it and a look of doubt appeared on his face. Although he truly wanted to believe that he was the Shadow that Rouge remembered and wanted to believe that the past she told him about was true, just gazing at the destroyed robot clone of himself once again made him think that he was just the same as it – a clone, a copy.

But he knew the only way to find out the truth about himself was to track down Dr. Eggman and get the truth from him.

A look of resolve and determination appearing on his face, Shadow turned to the direction his companions had darted off in and he activated his Air Shoes. "I shall find the answer to who I really am!"

Shadow dashed away from the wreckage to catch up with Rouge and Omega and continue their quest to find Dr. Eggman.

_**~The End~**_

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_**~Author's Note~**_

_**And another Shadouge short story is complete! This is how I imagined the scene happening after Team Dark defeated the Egg Albatross in Sonic Heroes! Although it was short, I could really see a connection between Shadow and Rouge in it and wished this was how it went I hope you guys enjoyed it!**_

'_**Til next time my fellow readers and authors! Later!**_


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